Iron Ladies 2 (Satree Lex 2)

Director(s): Youngyooth Thongkonthun
Writer(s): Youngyooth Thongkonthun
Producer(s): Jira Maligool, Prasert Vivattanananpong
Starring: Girorgio Maiocchi, Chaicharn Nimpulsawasdi

After winning big at the National Championships, a predominantly homosexual volleyball team known as the Iron Ladies split up when Nong, one of their teammates, joins up with Prasert, a morally questionable promoter bent on copying the Iron Ladies' previous success. A chance meeting in China, however, finds the team questioning a possible reunion, particularly after Nong learns of Prasert's plans to offer the team captaincy to Muangman, a notorious homophobe.

Once again the Iron Ladies are hitting the courts, and once again they are hitting the hearts of viewers everywhere. This time, they hit the court against a team that is a carbon copy of themselves. This film truly raises the issue of gentrification and the commerciality of the queer community, whether it is intended or not. In the first film, we see how an underdog team can become a hot commodity. in the second film, we see how being abnormal, in this case queer, can become popular. After the Queer Eye phenomenon, it seems that having a gay best friend or knowing someone gay was the coolest thing. While sure, gay visibility became huge! Along with the gay popularity that gays are good at everything in life. Art, fashion, furniture, decoration, cooking, etc. In addition, i love getting to know backstories of characters and this film goes over how such a caring group of friends was created. It reminds me of the way I met all of my friends and how the bond i've formed with them was developed through the years. Me being sentimental again, i know. You can probably tell, I miss my friends.

Iron Ladies (Satree Lex)

Director(s): Youngyooth Thongkonthun
Writer(s:): Visuttchai Boonyakarnjawa, Jira Maligool, Youngyooth Thongkonthun
Producer(s): Youngyooth Thongkonthun
Starring: Chaicharn Nimpulsawasdi, Sahaphap Tor

Iron Ladies is an exuberant comedy about the journey of a volleyball team composed largely of transsexuals, drag queens, and effeminate gay men to the 1996 Thai male championships. Positioned at the team's spiritual core are best friends Mon and Jun, the former of whom is a jaded transvestite, and the latter is a flamboyant drag queen with uncharacteristically supportive parents. When the provincial governor hires a butch female coach to amass a "dream team" for the national volleyball competitions, Mon and Jun are chosen for the lineup. Their selection outrages their testosterone-addled teammates, who, with the exception of one player, quit in protest. Desperate, the coach asks Mon to recruit new teammates, and in short order he summons a transsexual stage performer, a muscular army sergeant cum makeup artist, a closeted gay boy, and transvestite triplets April, May, and June. Conflict ensues, lessons are learned, team spirit is strengthened, and eyebrows are plucked.

What surprises me the most about this film is that while Thailand is worlds behind in modernity compared the metropolitan US, their acceptance of queer life is surprisingly better. The last four Thai films i've seen have been not only pro-gay, but also pro-transgender, a hurdle that the U.S. has not gotten past. the comedic elements of the film rarely fall upon gay stereotypes and rely more on the quirkiness of the characters. At the heart of this film is a strong motif of friendship and the love of the game. The group of rag-tag players forms an elite team that not only wins the national championship, but also changes a nation's perspective on sports. Even Beautiful Boxer did not have that impact.

In the end, this film has pizazz and will always remain one of my favorites in the gay pantheon of queer cinema. It has sentiment, vigor, plot, characters, and of course laugh out loud moments that keep you smiling scene after scene. A masterful film from Thailand that I wish America will one day emulate.

The Velocity of Gary

Director(s): Dan Ireland
Writer(s): James Still
Producer(s): Kathryn Arnold, Carl Colpaert, Vincent D'Onofrio, Dan Ireland, Dan Lupovitz, Joe Simon, James Still, Ellen S. Wander
Starring: Vincent D'Onofrio, Thomas Jane, Selma Hayek

Gary is in love with Valentino, The only problem: so is Mary Carmen. The three have an odd relationship that seem dysfunctional to most, however to the three of them, they live perfectly content in their world of love and happiness. When Valentino gets an AIDS-related illness, the bonds of the three New Yorkers is tested. As Gary relives his years in NY, he can't separate the New York experience from Mary Carmen and Valentino.

Once again we find a unique relationship between queer theatre and queer cinema. What was once a stage show, has now become a film that seemingly launched the careers of three notable film actors. Salma Hayek gives a memorable performance with numerous film quotes that are likely in mass circulation today. Her performance as a needy and yet wanted Mary Carmen is wonderfully done. She adds depth to a character that is all over the place, something that seems impossible to do.

Thomas Jane, before all of his sexiness, plays a young hustler just trying to make it in the city on his own. His performance lends the sexiness to the film, captivating any gay viewer by his good looks and chiseled body. Even today, years later, his sexiness still exudes from his smoldering looks. While noted for his sexiness, he also does an excellent job playing a troubled person struggling with his emotions and the chip on his shoulder.

All in all, this film has the theme of the creation of a surrogate family, a theme present in numerous queer films. My friend, Stephen, has a theory that gays create a surrogate family, a group of friends that they can call upon and act as their real family. While purposes for creating this second family are at the discretion of the person at hand, the end result is always teh same. A close, knit group of friends that remain tight, through time and distance. Once again, i become nostalgic for my friends. They may be scattered across the country and the world, but i love them regardless and view them as a family that I can call upon if things get tough.

Straight-Jacket

Director(s): Richard Day
Writer(s): Richard Day
Producer(s): Andrew Trosmans, Michael Warwick
Starring: Matt Letscher, Carrie Preston, Adam Greer

Guy Stone is just like Rock Hudson: the leading Hollywood heartthrob at his time, the most documented person in the press, and of course the biggest closet case in all of entertainment. With the help of his butch female agent, Jerry, Guy's indecent promiscuity has been cleverly hidden. All shifts when a gay bar is raided by the police and Guy is captured on film. To land the part of Ben Hur in an upcoming film, Guy has to marry a longtime adoring fan and live a straight and narrow path for at least one year. Coincidentally, this is about the same time that Adam meets Rick, a writer rewriting a film Guy is starring in. The two get off to a rocky start but eventually develop deep feelings for one another. And just like that, Guy's posh and comfortable lifestyle becomes an tangled circus in deep need of untangling.

Living and working in the Hollywood Film industry, you become privy to numerous gossip about sham marriages. It seems that sham marriages between stars have been around as long as the industry itself. This film light-heartedly brings this concept to attention. It focuses on what some people do to keep their spot in the limelight. It also brings to question what some people would do to avoid being who they really are. In the case of this film, people will purposefully agree to a sham marriage in which their counterpart is completely clueless. I find it interesting that major celebrities are choosing to remain in the closet, even if that means stifling who they are and what they stand for. As actors, their careers are based on creative expression and living life outside of the normal hubbub of life. Yet by stifling themselves, they are conforming to the common man. Of the three major celebrities I know of, their commitment to remaining in the closet has been a lifetime ordeal that could easily have ended if they came out. Yet they remain to live a lie for the sake of being loved. I know, it is kinda a heavy topic, but these are just the ramblings rolling in my head at the moment.

Love Life

Director(s):Damion Dietz
Writer(s): Damion Dietz
Producer(s): Damion Dietz
Starring: Stephen D. Gill, Stephanie Kirchen

Joe and Mary have an arranged marriage. To the outside world, they look like the average straight couple. Within their walls they are two gay people making a life together for the sake of their families. When Joe meets a guy that is worth leaving the relationship for, Mary becomes protective and overbearing. Even while her own love life seems to bloom with a female friend visiting from out of town, she can't seem to be happy for Joe. Finally, Joe threatens to leave and Mary accepts that he needs to live his own life.

Yeah. That's the plot. I know. Very simple and rather anti-climatic. And the weird part of the movie is that whenever is Joe is having sex with Thomas, Mary is having sex with her female friend. Its as if there is a designated sex time for everyone. "oops its 1:30pm, its time for sex. Hurry, we're gonna be late". That's all I got for this film.

2 Minutes Later

Director(s): Robert Gaston
Writer(s): Robert Gaston
Producer(s): Megan Mascena Gasper, Robert Gaston, Lindsay Grow, Farrel Lever
Starring: Michael Molina, Jessica Graham

When lesbian detective Abigail Marks teams up with gay guy Michael Dalmar to solve the disappearance of his twin, Kyle Dalmar, a famed portrait photographer, their investigation leads them into the Kyle's risqué world. With Michael posing as Kyle, the pair uncover assistants who have designs on their bosses, clients who have an interest in detectives, and killers who want them stopped. Navigating between identity and duplicity, Abigail and Michael discover that photos never lie, and two minutes can mean the difference between life and death.

Similar in plot to Blow-Up, this film takes an interesting stance on the relationship between reality and the captured in photography.I feel like this film is a great balance of gay sex, plot, and action. Sure there are aspects missing in the film, but when you have a super hot sex scene between two guys in an ultra modern red-lit bedroom, all those inconsistencies can be set aside. And fret not lesbians, you have a sex scene in this film too! Aside from the scantily clad men, this film offers more than just sex scenes. It provides a temporary step into a dark world where fantasy and reality are blurred. This has been a nice change from the almost senior theses that have been in my pile recently. Production quality was pretty high and the lighting at times was pretty experimental, which I love.

Amidst the dark world, there was time to develop a brief. . . and I mean brief romance that ends abruptly when one of them is shot. I liked the fact that the plot avoided any sort of in depth romantic development. It seems that gay flicks always have to involved romance. Seeing an underdeveloped and unspecified romantic interest, keeps the focus on the mission at hand: finding the killer who is out there. I definitely like this film and would watch it over again. Perhaps even go as far as to purchase it. With an ending that promises a sequel, I'm sure we'll see more of this queer duo that fights crime.

Issues 101

Director(s): John Lincoln
Writer(s): John Lincoln
Producer(s): John Lincoln, Kenneth Schuyler
Starring: Michael Rozman, Dennis W. Rittenhouse Jr., Jeff Sublett, Kelly Clarkson

Joe, a new freshman to an LA-Based college, finds himself in a predicament when he finds himself pledging a fraternity in which his "Big Brother" also serves as the object of his affection. Big Brother Christian, self-described as "straight with issues" tries to divert Joe's attention from himself by pairing Joe with his gay real brother, Michael. But when Michael and Joe hit it off and seem to be developing a loving relationship, a one-night tryst between Joe and Christian that was videotaped rears its ugly head. Coincidentally, Joe is also running for Associate Students President and risks losing the election if his homosexuality is plastered around campus.

I wish every movie can have a four second cameo by Kelly Clarkson. Actually, I take that back. Could you imagine Kelly Clarkson in The Dark Knight? Me neither. I can honestly say that Kelly Clarkson was the highlight of the film. While this film is nice in theory and on paper, the translation to screen makes it a complete mess. While other major fraternity plot based films focus on the hazing and ritual in a subtle manner evoking a homoerotic tension and mystery, this film has blatant oral sex hazing between the frat bros and their "Younger Brothers". Shot with primary florescent lighting and really bad set design (really bad!), watching this film is rough on the eyes. The plot is loose and rather lackluster with no real problem. The only major crisis is between Joe and Michael when a sexual encounter in Joe's past is brought to question, and even then I was yelling at the TV for making such a big issues about something stupid. That's all i got on this film.